Path to the light

Of all the things a person should see in their lifetime, the Northern Lights are high on the list. In the winter, Iceland is an excellent place to witness this natural spectacle (photo: Stóri-Hólmur in ­Leira). Almost every night, when no clouds blot the sky above the largest volcanic island on earth, a great light show takes place, created by the electrically charged particles of the solar wind. The Inuit have a more mystic explanation for the phenomenon: They regard the lights as a bridge to the great beyond.